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City pays unlicensed company for logo design

December 12, 2012

Approved in a 4-1 vote during Monday evening’s city commission meeting, with Vice Mayor Nancy Sikes-Kline dissenting, the City of St Augustine rolled out their new “brand identity” — an image to be trademarked and licensed by the city for everything from apparel, to coffee mugs, to carry-bags, to baseball caps.

“The brand image brings together our maritime history and the nation’s oldest fort with an invitation to come, explore and find personal meaning,” said Dana Ste. Claire, director of the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration.

The City also says, “We are thrilled to be working with “We Are Charette” on this project.” Ste. Claire called the husband and wife team “brilliant thinkers and talented artists” Monday night.

“We are Charette” is the fictitious name of an unlicensed business owned by a Nevada corporation, “Iomatix Inc”, ostensibly operating from a North City home that is zoned residential; not commercial. Neither “We are Charette” nor “Iomatix Inc” has a business telephone number listed at the address. Their website, wearecharette.com, is registered to an address in San Francisco; which is also the area code and place name for the cell phone numbers they say are their “business telephone” numbers.

“Basically, we have the 450th folks spending more money — this time its with a Nevada corporation, with a Florida fictitious name, with no commercially zoned business office, no required business license (tax), no listed business telephone number, from a website registered to an address in San Francisco, which is where the cell phone numbers they say are their “business phones” are from,” said editor Michael Gold after a quick records check about the company. “I’m quite sure the Charettes are fine people, I don’t suspect they are running from anyone, and I welcome them to compete in the local market — from a properly zoned place of business, with a proper business license, and a local business telephone number; which is what any one-of-a-dozen local companies competing with them have had to do.”

Historic City News has requested from the City the amount paid and any amount still owed to Charette, and the identities of other companies who were not selected in favor of Charette.

Specifically, we are asking if an RFP was used, and if so, were local companies given an opportunity to compete for the work?